MEG 
Greeks were often obliged to put their own enunciation 
of the fame word in characters very different from the 
Latin, as K 0 YTNT 02 for Quintus, &c. 
Mr. Pinkerton obferves, that the noted S. C. fignifving 
Senatus Confulto, “ by decree of the fenate,” and exprefling 
the authority of the fenate of Rome for ttrikingany coin, 
never appears upon thofe of gold or filver in the fame 
fenfe as when it occurs upon thofe of brafs. He fuggefts, 
that the Roman emperors had the foie difpofal of the gold 
and filver coinage, but left that of brafs entirely to the 
fenate. The Roman legends refembled, for fome time, in 
their fimplicity thofe of the Greeks; but gradually pro¬ 
ceeded to more explicit length ; and in time from elegant 
and fimple veracity degenerated into flattery. 
Dr. Coningham, in his Tradf on Modern Medals, cited 
by Mr. Pinkerton, enumerates five kinds of improper le¬ 
gends on modern medals; viz. poetical, impious,jingling, 
intricate, and abufive. Of the fir ft kind he inltances a 
French medal ftruck on occafion of fome advantage over 
the Englifh at fea, maturate fugam, which, he fays, 
reminds us of Virgil, and not of the aftion. Mr. Addifon, 
in his third Dialogue on Medals, vindicates poetical le¬ 
gends; but Mr. Pinkerton obferves, that medals are cer¬ 
tainly meant to be hiftorical, and that poetry has in it 
fomething alien to hiffory, and deftru&ive of its reality ; 
and he adds, that the ancients do not afford a fingle ex¬ 
ample of a poetical legend on a medal. Of the jingling 
kind of legend is that of Francis Morozini, Jupiter with 
an urn, gaudet flumine, non fulmine; and alfo that 
of Richard Cromwell, non deficient OLiV-ffi, confound¬ 
ing the olive-tree with Oliver Cromwell. To the intricate 
kind is referred the chronological coin of Guftavus Adol- 
phuskingof Sweden, ChrIstVs DVX ergo trIVMphVs, 
the numeral letters making the year 1632. Of the abufive 
kind is the Dutch medal on their ffadtholder, quantum 
mutatus ae illo ; and Louis XIV. viro immortali 
cum fistula in ano. To thefe, long legends might be 
added. The ancient legends are remarkable for fimple 
brevity and energy ; and the belt of the modern clafs are 
formed on their model. 
The compafs of a coin, and even of a medal, is fo fmall, 
that artifts have always been obliged to ufe abbreviations 
in the legends and infcriptions. This circumftance oc- 
cafions confiderable difficulty in interpreting them. Mr. 
Pinkerton, in the Appendix to his valuable work, has fur- 
nifhed ah explanation of thofe that moft commonly occur. 
From this lift, however, we (hall only extract his explana¬ 
tion of the Greek numerals. 
A. 
1. 
I. 
IO. 
P. 
100 
B. 
2. 
K. 
20. 
2. or C 
200 
r. 
3 - 
A. 
30 . 
T. 
300 
A. 
4 - 
M. 
40 . 
Y. 
400 
E. 
5 - 
N. 
50 . 
*. 
500 
<r. or 
6. 
E. 
60. 
X. 
600 
Z. 
7 * 
O. 
7 °\ 
Y. 
700 
H. 
8. 
n. 
80. 
n. 
800 
©. 
9 * 
4 - 
90. 
900 
Examples . 
I is 
IO 
: add A to I, and 
IA makes 11 
5 fo 
IB, n ; 
ir, 
13, See. 
K is 20, 
KA 21, &c. PIA makes 
iii. 
On coins the numerals are often placed in retrograde order, 
which makes no difference in the value, as every letter is 
appropriated to its number. Thus TAr or TAT, imply 
the fame, 333. But this, being unknown to the Roman 
numerals and Arabic ciphers, is apt to puzzle the be¬ 
ginner. 
As to the method of taking impreffions of medals, fee 
the word Casting, vol. iii. p. 886, 7. 
MEDALET',/. See p. 825. 
MEDAL'LIC, adj. Pertaining to medals.—You will 
never, with all your medallic eloquence, perfuade Euge- 
nius, that it is better to have a pocketful of Otho’s than 
of Jacobus’s. Addifon. 
MEDAL'LION, /. [medallion, Fr.] A large antique 
MED 833 
ftamp or medal.— Medalions, in refpeft of the other coins, 
were the fame as modern medals in refpeft of modern 
money. Addifon. 
MED'ALLIST, /. [ medaillifle , Fr.] A man (killed or 
curious in medals.—Asa medallijl, you are not to look 
upon a cabinet of medals as a treafure of money, but of 
knowledge. Addifon on Medals. 
MEDA'MA, a town of the ifland of Ceylon: fixteen 
miles north of Candi. 
MEDAM'PE, a town of the ifland of Ceylon : thirty- 
fix miles north of Columbo. 
MEDAMPEK', a town of Servia, on the river Ipek : 
twenty-two miles fouth-weft of Orfova. 
ME'DAN, or Madan, [Heb. judgment.] Third fon 
of Abraham and Keturah. Gen. xxv. 2. There is much 
probability that Medan, and Midian his brother, peopled 
the country of Midian or Madan, eaft of the Dead Sea, 
(Eufeb.and Hieronym. Locis Hebr.) which is hor.ever to 
be difiringuidied from another country of Midian, to the 
eaft of the Red Sea. 
ME'DAN, the name of a place in Paleftine. Some 
write that this word fignifies “ the waters of Dan,” or the 
fountain from whence rifes the river Jordan. Others think 
that, Medan in Arabic, fignifies “a fair 5” and that this- 
name is given to the lake Phiala and the country round 
about, becaufe, during the fummer feafon, there is in this 
place a perpetual fair. See Reland. Palelt. cap. 41. But 
the Hebrew word medan really denotes “ a province or 
prefedfture, the dilfrift of one chief judge or magiftrate.” 
MEDAR'D (St.), a town of France, in the department 
of the Lot : eight miles north-weft of Cahors. 
MEDAU'AR, a town of Arabia, in the province of 
Yemen : twenty-eight miles north-weft of Dsjebi. 
MEDAU'SO, a town of Africa, in the country of Ber- 
goo : 150 miles fouth-weft of Wara. 
MED'BOURNE (Matthew), an a£tor of confiderable 
eminence in the reign of king Charles II. but, being a 
Roman catholic, and inflamed with indifcreet zeal for the 
religion he had been brought up in, he became engaged 
in Titus Oates’s plot, on which accqunt he was committed, 
Nov. 26, 1678, to Newgate; in which place he died on 
the 19th of March following; although, as Langbains 
obferves, he merited a much better fate. He made a tranf- 
lation at large, from Moliere, of the comedy entitled 
Tartuffe; 4to. 1670. He alfo publiflied another dramatic 
piece, which he dedicated to the queen, and of which 
Gildon fays, notwithftanding the letters E. M. in the title- 
page, he was fuppofed to have been the author ; it is called 
Saint Cicily, a tragedy. Medbourne would feem, how¬ 
ever, to have been the writer of ten plays, if we take fe- 
riouily the following lines of the duke of Dorfet’s epi¬ 
logue on the revival of Ben Jonfon’s Every Man in his- 
Humour : 
Here’s Matter Matthew, our domeftic wit. 
Does promife one o’ th’ ten plays he has writ. 
To MED'DLE, v. n. [ meddelen , Dut.] To have to do: 
in this fenfe it is followed by with. — It is reported that 
caffia, when gathered, is put into the (kins of beads newly 
flayed, which breeding worms, they devour the pith and 
marrow, and fo make it hollow ; but meddle not with the 
back, becaufe it is bitter. Bacon. — With the power of it 
upon the fpirits of men we will only meddle. Bacon’s Na¬ 
tural Hi/lory. —I have thus far been an upright judge, not 
meddling with the defign nor difpofition. Dryden. —To in¬ 
terpole ; to act in any thing.—For my part, I’ll not meddle 
nor make any farther. Skakefpeare. —In every turn of ftate, 
without meddling on either fide, he has always been fa¬ 
vourable to merit. Dryden. —To interpofe or intervene 
importunely or officioully.—Why (houldeft thou meddle to 
thy hurt ? 2 Kings xiv. 10.—It is an honour for a man 
to ceafe from ttrife ; but every fool will be meddling. 
Prov. xx. 3. 
To MED'DLE, v. a. [from meler, Fr.] To mix; to 
mingle. 
